Author: WBEZ Chicago

With artificial intelligence, or AI, becoming more accessible, artists’ intellectual property is increasingly under threat. Creative work is being mined by AI without the consent of the artists.A team at the University of Chicago are creating software to combat AI’s ability to use artists’ work. The ethics of AI continue to come into question while more people are tantalized by its ability to mine images and information. So, what’s the deal? Reset sits down with journalist Kelley Engelbrecht who has been reporting on the issue of intellectual property and AI, as well as the head of the team creating this protective software, Ben Y. Zhao, to learn about AI theft. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Santa Masa Tamaleria in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood uses non-GMO corn from Northern Mexico to make the dough for their tamales and tortillas. Opening this restaurant was a long held dream for the chef-couple. Reset hears how owners Jhoana Ruiz and Danny Espinoza made their dream a reality, and how the threat of tariffs is impacting them. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Preservation Chicago has released its 2025 list of endangered buildings. Reset learns about the importance of these buildings from Jonathan Solomon, a partner in the Chicago firm Preservation Futures and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute and Adam Natenshon, director of operations and communications at Preservation Chicago. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The U.S. Forest Service recently fired over 3,000 employees across the country. Twelve come from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, a preserved grassland in Will County, Illinois. Reset sits down with Abbey Hays, Siobhan Solkowski-Peacy and Erick “Iggy” Ignaczak, three terminated employees to unpack how they’re feeling, how Midewin’s programs have to adapt and how this is harming conservation efforts in Illinois. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

When eligible people turn 65, they can sign up for Medicare. One thing to consider is drug coverage, or Part D. Reset learns more about Medicare drug coverage and answers listener questions with Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program director Sandy Leith. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Many Venezuelans in Chicago will have their work permits and protection from deportation revoked as early as April. WBEZ checked in with local TPS recipients about how this uncertainty is affecting them and their community. Reset checks in with WBEZ reporters Adriana Cardona-Maguigad and Chip Mitchell. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

On Feb. 28, President Trump issued an executive order that the federal government will not fund gender affirming or “transition” surgeries. In response, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago announced it would pause these surgeries, and not schedule future ones, for patients under 19 years of age. Reset discusses the impact this is having on trans teens and their parents with WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch and a parent to a trans child, Michelle Vallet. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

During her 40 years at the Sun-Times, Fran Spielman has been a fixture at City Hall through seven mayoral administrations. Reset checks in with the city’s longest-tenured local politics reporter as she marks a milestone with the Sun-Times. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.